The tough in and under midfielder was somewhat overlooked with the mass
of young talent at the Giants, but he announced himself as one of the best up
and coming talents in the game in 2013 with an impressive and consistent second
season.
Not yet 21 years of age, but Adams has an AFL ready physique, something
that was no doubt appealing to his new club – Collingwood – with the Pies eager
to further add to their already strong midfield group. His mature frame has seen
him already feature heavily through the stoppages and in turn he has averaged
four clearances a match over his 31 game career, something he has made a
trademark of his game already.
Another impressive feature of the former number 13 draft pick has been
his consistency for such a young player. In his 13 unsubbed matches (of 16), he
never fell under 19 possessions while ending the season on a high, gathering 30
touches against the Suns - highlighting Adams’ outstanding consistency for such
a young player entering the elite ranks.
Over these 13 matches in 2013, he averaged 23.8 disposals of which 65%
were contested, 3.4 tackles, 4.5 clearances, 3.4 inside 50’s and 84.7 SuperCoach
points. These numbers read very well for the former Giant and reinforces the
immense potential Adams promises to deliver in the near future.
However, when looking at Adams as a 2014 SuperCoach prospect, his price
of 410K stands him in no mans lands as far as our midfield goes. It would take
an extremely brave coach to select a player of his age and experience in their
midfield, a section often left for premiums and rookies. Another aspect that
should hold coaches off for now is his SuperCoach average in comparison to his
Dream Team. Adams averaged 91.7 (unsubbed) in Dream Team; up seven points on is
SC average, a trend that is more commonly reversed for many players. Having
ranked eighth in the competition for clangers per game last year, this looks to
be a reasonable indicator for those numbers.
This is not to say Adams “butchers” the ball, that stat can be put down
to quick kicks out of the clearance coupled with being in a weaker side. There
is no doubt Adams will be a future star of the game and a popular selection in
years to come, but as far as 2014 goes he simply offers no real benefit in terms
of a cash cow nor is he going to average in excess of 110, two key factors in
order to warrant midfield selection.